Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling has announced his retirement, and I read the news with a mixture of sadness and admiration–sadness that we won’t get to watch one of the most dominant pitchers of our time anymore, admiration that he’s walking away with his star bright, without a long, drawn-out series of failed comebacks (hopefully).

Of course, Schilling will forever be remembered for his bloody sock during the 2004 World Series, when he helped Boston win their first World Series in 86 years by pitching with an injured tendon. He was always a classy, hard-driving competitor who spoke his mind, intelligently and passionately, and I will miss him greatly, though something tells me we haven’t heard the last from him (he is an avid blogger).
His famous bloody sock ended up in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and in five years, I assume we will be celebrating Schilling’s arrival there as well.